tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33824560.post2792519304197343103..comments2024-01-29T17:34:57.576-07:00Comments on A Blister to My Eye: It's not an ethnic pejorativeDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08274485227373284224noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33824560.post-79063859292347238952010-01-06T00:02:31.775-07:002010-01-06T00:02:31.775-07:00Keep posting stuff like this i really like it.Keep posting stuff like this i really like it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33824560.post-50640523842597241002008-07-26T12:17:00.000-06:002008-07-26T12:17:00.000-06:00kristen,Golly, that's a good question. I wonder w...kristen,<BR/><BR/>Golly, that's a good question. I wonder when that spelling rule came into effect.<BR/><BR/>I was taught to spell the past tense of "travel" as "travelled". I was also taught the spelling "travelling". It took me quite a while to unteach myself after I moved to the U.S.<BR/><BR/>(I refuse to give up putting the period outside the quotation marks, though, when it's appropriate. That's one British usage that seems to be catching on over here, although it's usually called "logical punctuation" here.)Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08274485227373284224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33824560.post-9507044167376433312008-07-25T04:11:00.000-06:002008-07-25T04:11:00.000-06:00I would use "mike," but then I wasn't sure if that...I would use "mike," but then I wasn't sure if that was correct because ... well, because the original word is microphone. So I would spell it "mic," just as a guess.<BR/><BR/>What I'd like to know is why "mimic" becomes "mimicKed."Kristenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09239497370370468057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33824560.post-62687216686407952232008-07-16T08:59:00.000-06:002008-07-16T08:59:00.000-06:00Yes, but at least I can feel smug and superior whe...Yes, but at least I can feel smug and superior when they do.<BR/><BR/>And I'm of course aware of the silliness of taking usage-notes from a musical genre noted for mangling the English language, but you see something often enough in print and it starts to look like standard usage...Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06286520897538327919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33824560.post-28107181674084895852008-07-16T08:12:00.000-06:002008-07-16T08:12:00.000-06:00Hip hop? Hmm. Maybe that's where it came from.If...Hip hop? Hmm. Maybe that's where it came from.<BR/><BR/>If you change it to "mike" in your ms., some copyeditor will change to "mic", I bet.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08274485227373284224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33824560.post-29871875055980280782008-07-16T08:03:00.000-06:002008-07-16T08:03:00.000-06:00Well argued, sir. I confess, I've always been in ...Well argued, sir. I confess, I've always been in the 'mic' camp (likely on account of growing up listening to and reading about hip hop, where 'mic' is the more common form), but your use of bike as an example has won me over. I'd best check the current manuscript to see if it comes up!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06286520897538327919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33824560.post-68092218576050723512008-07-14T20:56:00.000-06:002008-07-14T20:56:00.000-06:00I only thought of the getting burned part. Razors...I only thought of the getting burned part. Razors, though ...Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08274485227373284224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33824560.post-34766186269138435992008-07-14T08:05:00.000-06:002008-07-14T08:05:00.000-06:00So, you can't call bikes bics, because bics are ra...So, you can't call bikes bics, because bics are razors, lighters and pens.<BR/><BR/>Seriously. <BR/><BR/>You should know this stuff!<BR/><BR/>hee heeLahdeedahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08310770349703287189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33824560.post-24636657451508846482008-07-13T20:51:00.000-06:002008-07-13T20:51:00.000-06:00Hi, Robin. Welcome.I have an answer for your frie...Hi, Robin. Welcome.<BR/><BR/>I have an answer for your friend. I think it's because of the stress being adjacent to the cycle syllable in bicycle, and because it's a two-syllable word. That makes the cycle part very unstressed in bicycle, and in English, very unstressed vowels tend to have something like an uh sound. That syllable has more stress, a secondary stress, in motorcycle.<BR/><BR/>Suppose bicycle had three syllables, with the stress on the first -- biduhcyle, let's say. To me, the natural pronunciation would be BI-du-sigh-kl.<BR/><BR/>Or possibly I'm kidding myself.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08274485227373284224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33824560.post-89358514061606971042008-07-13T20:31:00.000-06:002008-07-13T20:31:00.000-06:00Hmm... amusing! I have to agree. I am a "snob" w...Hmm... amusing! I have to agree. I am a "snob" when it comes to the English language (unless of course, a brit is next to me, then I never miss a chance to shut up...I am southern....strike two...) Had a friend who talked about riding his (this is phonetic) motorsickle...when I razzed him about it he said, "then whey don't we call a bicycle a "bi-cycle"....couldn't answer that.<BR/><BR/>But I still dont' know why phonix isn't spelled phonetically...sue meRobinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12641134847491095439noreply@blogger.com